Sunday, February 15, 2015

LED Headlight replacement

LED headlight


Plug 'n' Play


I had been reading on the COG board about HID replacements.  I was not clear on changing my wiring harness so I have held off changing the light.

But when I went to the Progressive Motorcycle Show in Chicago on 2-14-15, I saw an interesting product.

I should have taking a picture of their simple booth at the show.  They had a single headlamp mounted on a handlebar with a connection to a battery.  The brightness was pretty intense.

$80 (+ $7 in taxes) later and I had my own.


The lamp has a 'hockey puck' for the back with its own built-in harness/plug.  The simplicity of the product was its major appeal for me.



When I worked to install the bulb and socket adaptor, I tried and tried to put it straight in where the halogen bulb goes.

After some frustration, I decided upon installing the socket adapter separately. While the adapter plate sat in the opening, I could then slide the bulb assembly into the hole.  Note the 'D' side to the plate adapter holds the bulb assembly with the flat side of the triangle wedge facing downward.  I will see how well this provides light when the High beam is used.  The dealer showed me how the flat side gets used when the High beams are engaged.

After fooling around with the bulb and socket, I connected the wiring harness to the plug.  The rubber boot for the halogen bulb is not used now that the LED assembly blocks the plug.  I may or may cut out the center of the rubber boot to use it.


Here's what the light output is from the new LED Bulb.

The halogen bulb draws 55 watts while the LED bulb will draw 35 watts. 

I look forward to seeing the difference on the road!